With this record, Carrie & Lowell, I needed to extract myself out of this environment of make-believe. It’s something that was necessary for me to do in the wake of my mother’s death—to pursue a sense of peace and serenity in spite of suffering. It’s not really trying to say anything new, or prove anything, or innovate. It feels artless, which is a good thing. This is not my art project; this is my life.
1 Comment
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Michael Engelbrecht:
Zachary Bernstein says:
Initially, I found it impossible to understand why Sufjan Stevens chose not to release this album during the winter. Its lilting, melancholy melodies effortlessly evoke early morning snowfall and prematurely dark nights huddled indoors.
My opinion changed when I listened to Carrie & Lowell for the first time on a covered bridge in Central Park as the city finally emerged from its somber hibernation.
As I watched the afternoon sun dance across the skyscrapers and New Yorkers enjoying the first whispers of vernal air, I realized that this record is ideally suited for the springtime – a moment of rebirth and renewal